IFL fight fans this year you will see a different team format and IFL season structure. Instead of contrived teams the IFL is switching to a camp format.
IFL camps include Miletich Fighting Systems, Midwest Combat, Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den, Team Tompkins, American Top Team, Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu NYC, World Class Fight Center and Team Quest Fight Club. Also new camps will be able to come into the league and challenge established camps of IFL fighters.
See International Fight League fighting live at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut and Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Expect to see more compelling fights this year as the season progresses with best fighting styles and camps emerging, raising to top and being pitted each other.
| Fight | Location | Date | Fight Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFL | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT |
May 16, 2008 Friday 7:30 PM |
IFL Tickets |
| IFL | Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
June 27, 2008 Friday |
TBA |
| IFL | Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ |
August 15, 2008 Friday 7:30 PM |
IFL Tickets |
| IFL | Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
October 17, 2008 Friday |
TBA |
| IFL | Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ |
November 14, 2008 Friday |
TBA |
International Fight League
The International Fight League aka IFL was started in January 2006 by two wealthy devotees of mixed martial arts who were inspired by the Mark Kerr documentary The Smashing Machine - The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. Their goal is to better the livelihoods of mixed martial arts fighters many of whom live meagerly, train without a steady income and only earn small purses when they do fight. The IFL gives fighters a salary, health benefits, and a business plan to share in the profits. The IFL is currently televised on FSN in the US and its been widely speculated that the IFL will become the major circuit for MMA directly competing with the UFC.
In 2008 IFL will consist of 8 camps forming the base of the league. Each camp will have at least three fighters of any weight class. Camps inherently will have their own style of fighting and training. A blending of combat skills consisting of striking and grappling techniques derived from western boxing, kickboxing, submission wrestling or submission grappling, karate, jiu-jitsu, judo, jeet kune do, kick-boxing and muy thai. Camps will be matched up against each other in IFL live events with each camp having at least three fighters on the card.
IFL Rules
The following International Fight League rules differ from the uniform MMA Rules:
- IFL uses three 4-minute rounds.
- IFL fighters use different gloves as compared to other MMA organizations that have more padding.
- IFL fighters are divided into teams consisting of 5 fighters per team 1 from each weight division; lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, and one head coach.
- IFL prohibits elbow strikes to head or face, stomps, soccer kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent.